KARGIL: The University of Ladakh’s Kargil Campus marked World Photography Day on Wednesday with a photography workshop and competition, providing students an opportunity to hone technical skills and explore visual storytelling centred on Ladakh’s landscape, tribal culture and contemporary life.
Organised by the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism in collaboration with the Department of Sociology, the programme was held under the theme “Eyes Behind the Lens, Heart Behind the Shutter”.
The events were held under the chief patronage of University of Ladakh Vice-Chancellor Prof Saket Kushwaha and supervised by Dr Mehboob Ali, In-charge Administration, Kargil Campus, and Dr Jaffar Ali Khan, Dean, Faculty of Arts.
Dr Jaffar Ali Khan felicitated resource person Zaheer Abbas Dardistani, photographer, filmmaker and videographer associated with the Department of Tourism, UT Ladakh, who conducted the workshop and shared practical insights with the participants.
The workshop was conducted in two sessions. The first focused on photography techniques through a visual presentation, while the second provided participants hands-on exposure to camera handling. Photographs submitted for the competition were also reviewed and judged during the session.
The competition invited entries in three categories — Nature, Tribal Culture and Apna Ladakh. The entries were judged by Dardistani and Dr Abhishek Sharma, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Kargil Campus.
Mohd Jawed of the Department of Disaster Management secured the first prize, while Jhalak Bajpai of the Department of Geography won the second prize. Sugra Fatima of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism and Dechen Angmo of the Department of Anthropology shared the third position.
The programme was led by Dr Shriprakash Pal and coordinated by Dr Vinit Vishal of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism.
The event brought together academic learning and creative expression, with organisers highlighting photography as a medium to document Ladakh’s natural environment, cultural traditions and heritage.
The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Zarka Zainab of the Department, who acknowledged the university leadership, resource person, participants and organising team.
